# Normal Places Made Famous by an Arts and Entertainment Thing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803 "2023-03-06T20:37:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/161 "2023-03-31T00:40:26Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > And lots of people visit Winslow, Arizona, because of a song. The tourism folks in Winslow are on the job: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Sing_If_You_Know_the_Words.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Sing_If_You_Know_the_Words.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/162 "2023-03-31T04:43:43Z")
Cortlandt Alley has become famous for being the one alley that stands in for all fictional NYC alleys. If you are filming an alley scene in NYC that’s where they are filmed. It’s existence in many movies and TV shows makes people think there are lots of alleys in New York so more of those scenes are written. In reality there are almost no alleys in Manhattan which makes it necessary for one to stand in for all. The strip club Satin Dolls was make famous when it was used as the Bada Bing in _The Sopranos._ I’ve never been in it (no really) but I’ve driven passed it many times. It’s on a major highway. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/163 "2023-03-31T05:22:49Z")
Here’s Vampire Weekend using Cortland Alley [https://youtu.be/1e0u11rgd9Q](https://youtu.be/1e0u11rgd9Q) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/164 "2023-03-31T06:43:11Z")
It really is what an alley should look like. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/165 "2023-03-31T15:29:20Z")
Some of you have very different ideas than I do about what makes a “normal” place. The most normal place I can think of is a parking garage, but the [Red Ball Garage](https://forgotten-ny.com/2020/10/red-ball-garage-murray-hill/) is famous as the starting point of the [Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Dash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_Baker_Sea-To-Shining-Sea_Memorial_Trophy_Dash), both of which became more famous when the race and the garage were featured in the film called T[he Cannonball Run](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cannonball_Run). > [@P-man](#): > > There’s the 59th Street Bridge, referenced by Simon and Garfunkel. Also, Ms. P and I had our first kiss in its shadows. I mostly piped in to say that Mrs. Charming and Rested had our first kiss after visiting one of the sites on this list. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/166 "2023-03-31T18:20:29Z")
The Hawthorne Grill had a few years of fame after it was used as the diner in _Pulp Fiction_ (opening scene and last act). I visited a couple of times when I lived out there in the 90s, once on my own, then I took my dad and his co-workers when they were in L.A. for a conference later that year. There was a (kind of shoddy, if memory serves) mural of _Pulp Fiction_ movie characters on one wall by then. Sadly, it was closed wheh I tried to take a GF there a year later, and the internet says it’s been demolished for an auto pats store. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/167 "2023-03-31T18:50:10Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Cortlandt Alley has become famous for being the one alley that stands in for all fictional NYC alleys. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/IDWIKU9KSYQ/maxresdefault.jpg "8 NYC Locations Hollywood Uses Over and Over Again | Movies Insider") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDWIKU9KSYQ) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803/168 "2023-03-31T21:01:24Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Portmierion, Wales. Also known as “The Village” Patrick McGoohan was quite taken by its quirky architecture when he filmed a couple of episodes of Danger Man (aka Secret Agent) there. I’ve looked them up and watched them… it might be as close to The Village as I get\*. (Cued up to the village, but it’s not quite the same in black and white) > **[Danger Man 1x01 View From the Villa - Full Episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMVQrIEYlIU?t=1027)** . \*Unless I drive my Lotus 7 into an underground office, resign, and never tell them why… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/normal-places-made-famous-by-an-arts-and-entertainment-thing/980803.md?page=8)